Elhuyar, in collaboration with the Department of Economic Promotion and Strategic Projects of the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa, has presented to professionals and students of different degrees in the field of science and communication the Environmental Communication Decalogue of Elhuyar, in the hope that it can be useful and necessary for their professional future. The presentation was made in the “Etorkizuna Eraikiz” space of San Sebastian, in the seminar “Environmental communication in the face of the climate emergency”.

Following the welcome words of Unai Andueza Iraeta, Director General of Strategic Projects of the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa, the coordinator of the Science Unit of Elhuyar, Garazi Andonegi Beristain, has presented the decalogue. The decalogue is the result of a process of collaboration between scientists, social, educational and scientific disseminators. In the face of an unprecedented environmental emergency, the objective is to achieve responsible and socially effective communication. This decalogue intends to be a proposal for reflection, for which it collects 14 keys.

1.Being a complex system, it integrates complementary looks.
2.Give local examples of problems and solutions, but without losing perspective on the global scale.
3.Don't be a catastrophist. Take advantage to imagine desirable futures.
4.It moves the dimension of justice to debate.
5.Stay away from the Eurocentric narrative.
6.Avoid limiting looks, like androcentrism and anthropocentrism.
7.We all have something to do, but not the same responsibility.
8.The solution is social and political, not just technological.
9.It transmits the values of nature: regulation of life, welfare, care, responsibility, prosperity, custody of the territory…
10.Single Health: a quality environment is essential for a quality life.
11.It questions certain concepts that are rooted in our economic system.
12.It gives the floor to proposals from social movements.
13.It provides resources for a critical view and identifies the ways denial takes.
14.Communicates in Basque to promote sustainability.

The Elhuyar Environmental Communication Decalogue has been completed with illustrations by Pernan Goñi and is available on the website zientzia.eus. DECALOGUE.

Following the presentation of the decalogue, a moderated round table was held by Guillermo Roa Zubia, scientific communicator of Elhuyar and director of the Ekosfera and Norteko Ferrokarrila programmes of the Basque Country Irratia. The following people participated in the table: Unai Pascual García de Azilu, researcher at BC3; Eli Pagola Apezetxea, journalist of the environment program Gelditu makinak de Naiz irratia; Estitxu Villamor Lomas, researcher at EKOPOL; and Aitziber Agirre Ruiz de Arkaute, scientific communicator at Elhuyar. Actress Beatriz Egizabal Ollokiegi closed the seminar with a theatrical record.

This project, promoted by Elhuyar, is supported by the Department of Economic Promotion and Strategic Projects of the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa.